30 Kisses: Hikaru and Lantis
by DarkHrse
Summary: For the 30 Kisses LiveJournal community. This is me jumping on the bandwagon to give you thirty oneshots of Hikaru and Lantis doing what many of us want them to do. Theme 2 up!
1. Practice 1: Look over here

**Title**: Practice  
**Author**: darkhrse  
**Pairing**: Hikaru Shidou and Lantis  
**Fandom**: Magic Knight Rayearth  
**Theme**: #1, Look over here  
**Disclaimer**: Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in that anime/manga are properties of CLAMP. These are used here without permission.

* * *

**THE BACK DOOR** to the Great Hall burst open as Hikaru Shidou, the Pillar of Cephiro, stormed through, stripping the ornamental pieces from her robes as she went. 

"Princess!"

The red-haired teenager whirled to find the diminutive Master Mage struggling to keep up with her, his long staff making clicking sounds on the marble floor in time with his small but hurried steps. "Princess, please!"

Hikaru took several steps towards Clef, closing the gap between them. "I'm sorry for rushing out of there, Clef, but I just couldn't wait any longer to go outside."

"But, Princess--"

"It's Hikaru."

"Very well. Hikaru, there are a few more dignitaries that you need to meet with."

The Fire Knight let out a groan, letting her head hang back, her eyes fixed at the domed ceiling. After a moment she dropped her head forward, her eyes pleading. "Please, Clef, please, please. Can't you take care of that? Do I really have to be the one to meet with them?"

The mage gave her a stern look. And then his expression softened. "Oh, very well, Princess."

"It's Hikaru!"

"It's also _Princess_. It's important that you remember your station in this world every now and then," he said firmly.

"Okay, okay! So, can I go now?"

"Yes. Go. Before I change my mind."

Hikaru moved in a blur to pick up the mage and hug him fiercely. "Oh, Clef, I owe you one!" Just as suddenly, she set him down and rushed out to the next door that led outside.

Clef's eyes followed her until she disappeared and then looked down to see the trail of jewelry she left behind. "I don't remember Princess Emeraude being this way," he muttered, shaking his head.

---

Hikaru was running and jumping as soon as her feet touched the lush grass just outside the palace. She ran with her arms stretched outwards, a big smile on her face. "Umi! Fuu!" She spotted her friends from a distance, leaving the forest and into the clearing.

Both Umi and Fuu shared a look. Just when their smaller friend came within distance, they rushed her, hooking their arms around hers and pulling her back.

"Uhm, hey, guys! What's up?" Hikaru asked innocently, looking from side to side, not quite minding yet the fact that she was being dragged back to where she came from.

"Well, Hikaru, we happen to know that you're not supposed to be out playing yet," Umi said, smiling mischievously.

"That's correct, Miss Umi," Fuu added and then looked at her red-haired friend. "I believe the dignitaries from Fahren and Chizeta wish to speak with you about very important matters."

"Aww, c'mon, you guys! I've been in meetings all day. I really need a break. Please?"

By mutual consent, the two stopped dragging their friend. "And where do you plan to take this break?"

"In the forest, I guess."

"If you're looking for monsters to kill, you won't find any."

"Miss Umi and I have already taken care of that."

"Really? I hear there was a report of a disturbance in Astonville, down South."

Fuu's brows furrowed in thought. "I don't think I've heard of such a town, Miss Hikaru."

"Trust me. It's there. So shall we go?"

"Can't. Caldina and I are going to visit Tatra and Tarta."

"And Ferio is already waiting for me."

Hikaru pursed her lips. "I guess I'm going alone then."

"Miss Hikaru, please be careful."

"Yeah, and call us if you need help."

The Fire Knight smiled brightly and waved, walking backwards towards the forest. "You guys have fun then and don't worry about me."

When Fuu and Umi were out of hearing distance from Hikaru, the latter turned to the former. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We have to call Lantis."

"Right."

---

Lantis landed his black steed on the ground and silently dismounted. If there was a monster nearby, he intended to be the one to surprise it and not the other way around. He walked forward, carefully planting one foot after the other, trying to minimize the sound. There were lots of dried fallen leaves around so the crunching noise his feet made could not be helped.

"Shush!" It was a loud whisper.

"Princess? Hikaru? Where are you?"

"Down here. And be quiet!"

Down here? Lantis' brows creased. He slowly lowered to a crouch. And began walking towards the thick bushes where he last heard Hikaru's voice. He cleared the obstructing shrubs. His eyebrows rose in mild surprise to see the Pillar lying flat on her stomach just at the edge of what looked like a hidden cliff. She was still wearing her ceremonial white gown with red sash and pipings. The gown wasn't so white anymore, though. And she was barefoot.

He raised his eyes a bit and saw that Hikaru was looking at him over her shoulder. There was a mischievous gleam in her sienna brown eyes and a naughty smile on her lips. The magic swordsman swallowed heavily. What was it about this girl that got his heart thumping?

"C'mon, Lantis. I haven't got all day. Look over here!"

He closed the distance between them and then layed himself down next to her and looked over the cliff. His eyes widened a fraction. Almost a hundred meters down was a large, winged monster, It was green and had three pointed horns on its head arranged in a line beginning from the top to its forehead. The two limbs it had in front were viciously clawed. It was currently feeding. Lantis could no longer tell exactly what wildlife it was consuming though, only that it was big and four-legged.

He turned to his right and was suprised to see Hikaru's face so close to his. She was watching the creature intently. The playful sparkle in her eyes was still there. She suddenly turned to him and planted a kiss on his cheek, which completely surprised him.

"Wish me luck!" She said as she planted her hands squarely on the ground to push herself up but Lantis shot his hand out to hold onto her wrist.

"You should let me handle this, Princess."

"No way!" Her voice rose just a tiny notch above the normal whisper. "I can take care of that thing. Besides, I need the practice." She quickly swiped his hand away.

Before he could object further, Hikaru had launched herself into the air with such an amazing speed. She was directly above the beast. The magic swordsman quickly looked down to see that the creature had already sensed her presence. With a roar, it spread its filmy wings and rocketed upwards to meet the threat.

Lantis gritted his teeth. He had seen Hikaru fight and she normally prevailed but lately she had been holding back, deliberately not using her powers to battle monsters. He saw a flash of light as she magically summoned her flame sword just as she reached the apex of her jump. She allowed gravity take hold of her as she sped downwards, her blade grasped tightly in both her hands.

Beast and girl met in mid-air. The impact of sword against claws was loud causing birds nearby to flutter away in panic. The size of the creature easily dwarfed Hikaru. The monster's bigger mass prevailed and he saw the Pillar get pushed back. It had the length of her between its hands but it could not close it to crush the girl. Hikaru had sunk her sword in its left hand and kept a foot on the other, keeping it effectively apart.

The monster decided to try another trick. It flapped its wings, flying higher into the sky. Lantis rushed to his steed, launching himself onto its back and commanded it to follow the monster. The steed complied immediately, leaping upwards and galloping across the sky towards the monster. When he got alongside it, he saw to his horror that instead of trying to crush the girl, it was trying to pull her away but Hikaru was holding fast to her sword, deeply embedded on one hand, and kicking the fingers of its other hand away. The monster roared in pain and frustration. It reared back and lunged, its fangs bared, intending to devour the girl.

At the last moment, Hikaru let go of her sword and allowed herself to plummet down.

"Hikaru!" Lantis shouted and was about to steer his stallion downwards to catch her but stopped when he heard her laughter. _I can't believe she's enjoying herself!_

The monster, realizing that it lost its prey, immediately began a steep dive. The Fire Knight had her arms stretched outward. It was as if she was floating on her back. She was facing the onrush of the monster. At the last moment, when it was upon her, she bent her legs just away from the lower fangs and planted her feet squarely on its lips. She grabbed the creature's upper lip and propelled herself upward just as the monster snapped its jaw shut. She scrambled over its head and traveled down its length, keeping a precarious balance even as the monster twirled in mid-air. She found herself on its belly and made for the hand that still had her sword. Its head was jerking upwards, its jaws seeking her. When she got to her sword, she pulled hard upward, releasing it from the thick hide that covered the creature's palm. Blood spurted out of the deep wound.

Hikaru stayed on the monster's belly as the head closed in on her. She had the sword in front of her but she was looking at it in the eye. And then with a finger, she pointed to just behind the monster's head. Lantis saw the question in the creature's eye. He smiled.

The creature reared its head back to look at where its prey had been pointing and saw that it was about to crash into the ground!

Lantis landed his steed just after the loud thud that was forceful enough to cause the ground to quake. The magic swordsman quicky dismounted and approached the creature. It was clearly dead, its head crushed under its bulk. But Hikaru was no where to be seen.

"Over here!"

Lantis looked up to see the Fire Knight waving at him and smiling from a thick branch several meters up. His eyes followed her as she floated gracefully down.

"That was some practice," he said, having nothing else to say.

"I hope I didn't give you a heart attack," she said, bumping the back of her hand against his chest playfully.

"What's a heart attack?"

Hikaru laughed. Her wonderful laughter was like the peal of little bells to his ear.

"So where are we going?" he asked as she walked passed him.

"To find more practice."


	2. Challenge 2: News Letter

**Title**: Challenge  
**Author**: darkhrse  
**Pairing**: Hikaru Shidou and Lantis  
**Fandom**: Magic Knight Rayearth  
**Theme**: #2, News; Letter  
**Disclaimer**: Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in that anime/manga are properties of CLAMP. These are used here without permission.

* * *

**LANTIS WATCHED** stoically as the Autozamian shuttle craft settled down gently on the landing pad just outside the palace. The landing pads around the palace were new structural additions as the diplomatic visits from Chizeta, Fahren and Autozam became more and more frequent. Although all visits were categorized as diplomatic, most of them were nothing more than social calls by the visiting royalty for the Magic Knights. 

What puzzled the magic swordsman was that unlike the other planets, Autozam's visits were almost always official in nature. Very rarely do any of them drop by just to socialize. It was usually Zazu Torque, who, he heard, had been just recently promoted to Commander and now had his own ship to command. But Zazu always used his personal ship and not an official shuttle craft.

True enough, when the doors opened and the ladder automatically extended, it was Geo Metro who emerged. Lantis stepped forward.

"Geo! Welcome back to Cephiro," he greeted, a smile only barely touching the sides of his mouth.

"And it's good to be back," Geo smiled evenly and looked around, taking deep breaths. "I've forgotten how fresh air was like."

The magic swordsman raised an eyebrow. "I thought..."

"Oh, yeah, the global air filter you helped us create has done wonders for our air. But nothing compares to the real thing."

Lantis gave a lopsided smile. "So anyway, what brings you here? It's usually Zazu who comes over but only when the Magic Knights are here."

"Oh. I guess that means they aren't here. Pity. I would have wanted to see them again."

"I'll make sure to let you know the next time they come over from their world," the magic swordsman said evenly. He could tell that Geo wasn't quite sure how to proceed. "Why don't we go in the palace. Clef is expecting you." He turned to lead the way inside but stopped when Geo cleared his throat.

"Actually, I didn't come to see Clef."

Lantis slowly turned. He saw that the Autozamian was holding a letter of some sort. He didn't notice it earlier. It must have been kept in one of the many secret pockets that the warriors of that planet usually had in their tunics.

"This is for you, Lantis."

The magic swordsman stepped closer and took the letter. Geo tucked both hands behind him, his legs slightly apart in a relaxed parade rest, watching the other's expression as he read the contents of what he had delivered.

"Is Zazu serious?" There was a look of incredulity on Lantis' face when his eyes finally rose to meet Geo's.

"Apparently, he is."

"And you allowed this?"

"We have rules in Autozam and this falls clearly in them."

"Does he know--"

"Yes, he knows that you've participated in this before."

"And does he also know--"

"Yes, Lantis," Geo said, clearly getting a little impatient. "Zazu knows. He knows _everything_."

"This is ridiculous!"

"That's exactly what I said."

"Why is he doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Geo, giving him an eyeful.

Lantis took one look at the expression on Geo's face and then turned away to start pacing. "The rules give me time to think about this, right?"

"You have one week."

---

Hikaru was always happy to be back in Cephiro. She suspected that the people here deliberately make the effort to make their arrivals a festive occasion. She spotted Fuu and Ferio off to the corner of the Grand Hall, looking deeply into each other's eyes as they spoke softly. Umi and Caldina were joking around while Ascot remained within the periphery, fidgeting, wondering, as always, how to best approach the statuesque Water Knight. Hikaru smiled but it was short-lived. Someone was conspicuously absent.

She approached Clef just as La Farga left his side to join Caldina and Umi.

"Hi, Clef."

"Ah, Hikaru," the mage said, nodding as if he knew something.

Hikaru's brows creased. "So...do you know where Lantis is?"

"I knew you'd be asking me that," he replied sorrowfully. "He's in Autozam right now."

The Fire Knight felt the heaviness of disappointment in her chest but strove to hide it. "Well, it must have been an important trip. I mean, to go there even after...you know...he did receive the news that I'd be here today, right?" She hid her hands behind her when she realized that she was fidgeting.

"Yes, he did receive the news. Hikaru, please don't be shocked with what I have to tell you..."

---

"Please calm down, Miss Hikaru."

The red-haired teenager was pacing back and forth in the already narrow confines of the shuttle craft taking them to Autozam. "Are we there yet?"

"No, we're not," Umi said, her fingers drumming impatiently on her armrests.

"Are we there yet?" Hikaru said two minutes after.

"No, we're not," The Water Knight quickly stood and stepped into Hikaru's path. "Hikaru, you're beginning to give me a headache! If you don't sit down, I swear--"

"This is your captain speaking. We have begun our descent..."

"It's about time!" The Fire Knight threw her hands in the air at the invisible speakers. "Wait till I get my hands on that magic swordsman, I swear!"

---

Geo Metro stood with his arms crossed facing Zazu and shaking his head.

"What?" Zazu Torque said without looking up from the instrumentations.

"I still can't believe you're doing this."

"I just wanted to see whether the improvements I've made to the FTO are up to snuff, you know?"

Geo snorted. "Do you really think you can win Hikaru over by doing this?"

"This has nothing to do with Hikaru!" Autozam's chief mechanic and youngest commander gave the other a glare but couldn't hold the eye contact.

"That didn't sound very convincing."

"Shut up, Geo. I'm trying to focus here."

The taller man held up his hands in resignation. "Whatever. You're gonna need it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zazu said, slamming his hands on the armrests of his chair.

"Eagle lost to Lantis. Using the FTO. Which part of that didn't you understand?"

"And which part of 'I made improvements to this here FTO' didn't you understand."

"Fine!" Geo said, turning around.

"Fine!" Zazu said, returning his attention back to the fine-tuning he was doing.

"Fine," the taller man said yet again as he took his first step away from the mecha fighter.

"Fine," the chief mechanic countered, shaking his head.

"Good luck out there."

"Fin--" Zazu looked up. He smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Geo."

Geo gave a nod and a final salute before walking off.

--

"Lantis, open up!" Hikaru said for the umpteenth time as she banged on the door to his chamber.

"Lantis isn't here," came the muffled voice through the reinforced steel barrier.

"Well, if he's not in there, then who are you?" she demanded.

The two other Knights were standing afar off. It was Fuu who was pacing this time. Umi was merely standing with one knee bent, her arms folded across her chest, the fingers of one hand drumming on the arm of the other. Her eyes were narrowing dangerously.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Miss Umi."

The blue-haired teenager raised a delicately sculptured eyebrow. "Me too, Fuu, me too."

"I swear, Lantis, if you don't open this door, I'm going to burn it down!"

With a swish, the door slid open. The magic swordsman was waiting just inside.

"It's about time," the Fire Knight said, glaring at the man in black armor and flowing cape. She faced her friends. "You two, just stay here."

"What?" Umi threw her hands in the air. "That's it! C'mon, Fuu," she huffed and stalked off.

The Wind Knight swung her head to look at both her friends, confusion etched on her face. Finally, she focused on Umi's retreating back when Hikaru had disappeared into the room. "Miss Umi, where are we going?" she asked as she struggled to catch up.

"To see if there are any good seats available."

--

Shock and surprise greeted her when Hikaru appeared in front of her two friends. Both immediately stood up from their seats to face her.

"Miss Hikaru, please tell me you've put an end to this craziness."

"Ladies and gentlemen--!"

The Fire Knight looked up at the announcer's booth at the distance and sighed.

"You're not serious. Are you telling me--"

"On the left corner, please welcome Lantis of Cephiro, piloting the DTO--!"

"I couldn't convince him to give up the challenge," Hikaru said above the roaring applause and cheers, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as she took the seat Fuu had the forethought of reserving for her just in case. Her eyes were on the blue colored mecha that walked onto the arena. It appeared clunky to her. Not at all as sleek as the FTO was. There were what appeared to be missile launchers on both shoulders. In place of hands, it had three grappling hooks. At the center of where the palm should be was a gun hole. Undoubtedly where bullets are fired from.

"On the right corner, it's none other than our own Zazu Torque, piloting the FTO _II_!"

"Those _idiots_! I can't believe it! Men are the same everywhere!" Umi took her seat in a huff after staring at the DTO. "All the same. You'd think we'd escape this lunacy on Earth. Only to find that the levels of testosterone here in Cephiro and Autozam are much higher!"

"At least Ferio isn't like that," Fuu said almost to herself, as she also took her seat, the last of the three to do so.

"Yeah, be thankful."

All three looked up as the new FTO walked into the arena. A hush fell on the crowd. Even Umi had nothing more to say as she stared at the mecha. It was white. But that was the only thing this new fighter had in common with its predecessor. It was wider and had more armaments all around. It had the usual shoulder-mounted launchers but there were turrets on top of the launchers. In fact, there were turrets everywhere!

Without warning, the crowd erupted into cheers. The three girls just looked around helplessly.

"The fighters have just received their final instructions," the booming voice of the announcer continued. "Are you ready to RRRRRUMBLE?"

Just when the girls thought it couldn't get any louder, the cheers became absolutely defeaning.

---

Six...Five...

Lantis kept one eye on his instrumentation panel and another at his opponent. So this is what Zazu had been keeping himself busy with.

...four...

He studied the FTO carefully, both from his view screen and the analysis of it being displayed on the onboard computer.

...three...

This new FTO definitely seems formidable. More formidable, at least, than his borrowed DTO. If he was going to win, it would have to be by his wits and on his own battle experience. The question was, should I really strive to win? He knew Hikaru was out there watching. They had a really bad argument about this.

...two...

He couldn't get her to understand that it was a matter of honor. And it wasn't like they were out here to kill each other. It was just a test of piloting and mecha strength. Nothing more. Would Hikaru forgive me for pulverizing Zazu? As if I could.

...one...

_Here we go._

--

_Whoa!_ That was fast! "Barrier shields!"

The DTO had instantly taken the offensive when it loosed two missiles at him as soon as the signal to begin came. Zazu had issued the command just in time as the missiles reached him. "Okay, calm down, Zazu," he said to himself. "Track the DTO."

The DTO was circling him at high speeds, firing incessantly, just like he did with Eagle. The chief mechanic spared his instrumentation a split-second glance. The shields were holding at ninety-one percent. "It'll hold. Stay with me, FTO," he said, gently patting the right joystick before grasping it tightly. "Let's show Lantis what you can do."

The FTO sped forward, turned around and loosed two missiles of its own.

Lantis' mecha continued to traverse the gigantic arena in a wide ellipse. He was on an intercept trajectory with the FTO. The two missiles Zazu fired were locked onto the blue mecha, trailing it closely and gaining on it as each second passed.

"I got you now," Zazu breathed, keeping close track of his opponent. When he was within range, he fired a steady stream of rounds from both of the FTO's appendages. His onboard computer told him that the DTO's shields were failing. He just needed a few more seconds.

The chief mechanic scowled when he realized that Lantis was heading straight for him. "What in the wor--!"

The DTO shot upwards and over him with Zazu continually tracking his movement with fire for a split second. The loud warning beep brought his attention back and his eyes widened when he saw that the missiles that he had fired earlier--which a moment ago was behind Lantis--was now about to impact on the FTO!

"Barrier shie--!"

Everything went white. What Zazu forgot about was the fact that he had programmed the FTO to defend itself so the shields had already gone up even before he had issued the command. It was still very close as part of the explosion penetrate the shields, damaging the hull of the FTO.

---

"Zazu!" Hikaru stood up, her hands together, clenched tightly in front of her. She had a pained expression on her face. At the same time, there was also confusion.

Fuu kept her eyes on her friend. She understood what was going on inside of her. Hikaru didn't want either Lantis or Zazu to get hurt. She didn't envy her friend at all.

---

The FTO rolled once more on the ground before coming to a complete stop. Lantis cut of the jets of his DTO as well and came to a rest several hundred meters away from the other mecha.

His instincts were screaming at him to finish the other off. But this was Zazu. He was just a kid, just a little older than the Magic Knights. He activated his comms. "Zazu, are you okay?"

No answer.

_Damn._ Lantis gripped his joysticks tighter and moved the DTO closer. At the corner of his eye, he saw the shields indicator. It was blinking red. It was down to twelve percent. He had cut the last encounter too close. He would be in deep trouble if his mecha were to be subjected to another barrage of fire. He moved even closer but kept the barrels of the DTO's arms up, ready to fire when needed.

He was already just a few mecha-sized steps away from the fallen FTO. "Zazu, can you read me? Please respond."

Just then, the FTO reared up and aimed its barrel at the DTO. Lantis' eyes widened and opened fire. The barrel of the FTO spewed forth a ball of some sort aimed right at him. Could it be a bomb? No. It began expanding. It was a net!

The net caught the DTO full force, causing it to topple backwards. "Barrier shields!" Lantis commanded although he knew it was over.

The FTO came to a full stand and closed the gap between them. It aimed a barrel at zero distance at the DTO. It fired once.

"Warning!" the onboard computer said. "Shields have failed."

Lantis tried to work the gun arms of the DTO but they were too tangled up in the oversized net that covered its entire length.

"Warning!" it was the onboard computer again. "The FTO is charging its primary weapon."

Primary weapon? The magic swordsman looked up to see that the panels on the FTO's chest were beginning to shift and slide open. It revealed a circular aperture. Tendrils of electricity were arcing all around its circumference. Lantis scowled. _Zazu can't be serious. I'm already down. What more does he want?_

---

"Finish it. Finish it. Finish it."

All around, the crowd was chanting. Hikaru was turning around, staring at the many Autozamians who were uttering the chant and gesturing with their fists. She whirled around again to face the arena. She could see the FTO preparing to fire on Lantis. Don't do it, Zazu, don't do it!

Umi and Fuu were also standing. Fuu had her hands on her mouth. Umi was just staring at the spectacle, her fists tightly clenched at her sides.

"I've got to do something."

"Whatever it is, Hikaru, it has to be soon."

The Fire Knight's sienna brown eyes turned red and narrowed into dangerous slits. She raised her hand as a stream of fire began circling her. The audience immediately scampered away when they saw and felt the heat. "Flame Arrow!" She directed her spell on the glass that separated the arena from the viewing area. It didn't stand a chance, shattering into countless pieces.

Hikaru leaped forward and through the gaping hole she created. "Rayearth!" she called out to her Rune God while she ran as fast as she could towards the two mechas. When she reached the halfway point, she felt herself being pulled back and upwards. Her clothing transformed to the armor and cape she wore when donning her mashin. The next thing she knew, she was already inside Rayearth and the next step she took placed her between the FTO and the downed DTO. She stretched her arms outward, facing the white mecha and shielding the blue one.

"Zazu!"

---

Zazu's eyes went wide. "H-Hikaru!"

"Tell me you weren't just about to kill Lantis, Zazu."

"I-I...ah..." his fingers instinctively tapped the appropriate buttons to shut down his polaron canon.

"If you're bent on this madness, you're gonna have to go through me."

"And me!"

"And me, as well!"

Zazu eyes looked from right to left to see that there were two other Rune Gods standing beside Hikaru's. "U-Umi. F-Fuu. I'm sorry! I wasn't going to...I didn't mean to--"

"Just back off, Zazu," Hikaru said.

"Y-yeah. Sure! I will," he said even as he started moving the FTO backwards. He kept walking backwards until he heard the computer warn of a collision. Apparently, he had backed his way right up to the far wall of the arena. _What have I done?_

---

Hikaru rushed towards the DTO's cockpit, still clad in her full battle dress. It was already opened and Lantis was standing, looking a bit dazed. "Lantis!"

"Hikaru, you didn't have to--mmmph!"

The Fire Knight had thrown herself at the magic swordsman, her arms hugging his neck tightly and her lips crushed onto his. It was only for a second though. When she let go, her face was as red as her hair in embarrassment. Her hands shot up to grab fistfuls of his tunic, pulling his face close to hers. "Not a word, Lantis. I didn't know what I was doing. But that will be the last time you do a stunt like this, is that understood?" The fire in her eyes didn't burn out as they continued to glare at him.

Lantis couldn't help the half-smile that was forming on his lips.

Hikaru pushed him back with such force that he fell back onto chair inside the DTO's cockpit. "I can't believe you have the nerve to look so smug! I'm not talking to you ever again!" The red-haired teenager whirled around and stomped off, red cape flowing behind her.

---

"Ah, there you are!" Geo said stepping forward to shake Lantis' hand and slapping him on the back. "That was a great fight."

"Was it?"

"Well, there was an uproar, of course, over the fact that three other mechas, unregistered at that, suddenly appearing when they weren't in the program."

Lantis raised an eyebrow. "How does this affect the relations between Cephiro and Autozam?"

Geo dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it, big guy. When the producers saw the jump in their Global Vid Ratings, they were quite pleased. Apparently, the whole thing added drama to the program. The producers just care about the ratings. Oh, by the way," the Autozamian commander gave the other a sly smile, "that kiss Hikaru gave you was broadcast in live Vid all over Autozam." He chuckled and added: "I'm not going to be surprised if the people in Chizeta and Fahren were tuning in as well. That kiss was really something."

"You have no idea," the magic swordsman said, giving the other a wry smile. "So where's Zazu?"

The Autozamian laughed. "Locked in a room with all the producers, enduring the praises they're heaping on him. Poor guy. Oh yeah, almost forgot," Geo reached behind him and drew out a letter.

Lantis merely looked at what the other held in his hand. Geo's smile grew wider.

"No. Way."

"C'mon, Lantis. I'll even let you use my GTO."

But Lantis had already left the room.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This turned out to be longer than I originally planned. I guess I got a little carried away. Hope you guys enjoy it nevertheless. If there's something here that you think was over the top, do let me know. We all want to improve, right? Ja ne! 


End file.
